[procaare] TB News

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TB News
[AFRO-NETS](11.07.02)
********************

The countries worst hit by the worldwide TB epidemic urgently need extra help if they are
to meet ambitious global targets set for the year 2005, the World Health Organization
(WHO) says. Experts working with WHO estimate that the total cost for TB control worldwide
is $1.2 billion every year.

Three-quarters of that total is already covered by countries, donors and other sources.
The remaining US$ 300 million each year is urgently needed if the targets are to be met by
2005. WHO's World Health Assembly has set global targets of detecting 70% of TB patients
and successfully curing 85% of these patients by 2005. "This is a race against time," said
Dr. J.W. Lee, director of WHO's STOP TB Department in Geneva. "Poor control practices in
many countries and the TB/HIV co-epidemic mean that urgent action needs to be taken to
control TB." "This funding gap is clearly identified and affordable," he added. "If we are
to meet these targets, we must act now." According to WHO, the 22 countries worst hit by
TB are: Af- ghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the
Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Af- rica, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Viet Nam
and Zimbabwe.

This article was prepared by TB & Outbreaks Week editors from staff and other reports.
http://www.NewsRx.net

 -- The Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis

The Stop TB Partnership has announced the publication of the Global Plan to Stop TB. The
document describes the action and resources needed over the next five years to expand,
adapt and improve directly-observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) - meeting the 2005
global targets to Stop TB, and setting the world on the road to the  elimination of TB.
Nine billion dollars is needed to fulfill the objectives of the Plan, and with a gap of
nearly four billion dollars, much work is needed to mobilise more resources.

The Global Plan has been prepared over the last two years by a team from Partners in
Health and the Stop TB Partnership secretariat, with funding from the Soros Foundation and
USAID. It incorporates contributions from over 150 writers around the world, and the
backing of the WHO, the World Bank and other partners.

http://www.stoptb.org

Further information:  Stop TB Partnership c/o WHO/CDS 20 Avenue Appia CH-1211 Geneva 27,
Switzerland
mailto:stoptb@who.int

 -- Keeping an eye on costs - community health workers monitor TB treatment

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that only 32 per cent of the world's
population has access to DOTS - a TB treatment strategy that requires health workers to
watch patients taking their  drugs. How can policy-makers improve the availability of
DOTS? Community health workers may provide a cost-effective solution.

 http://www.id21.org/health/h4ai1g1.html Email request:  GET
http://www.id21.org/getweb/h4ai1g1.html or  mailto:swakai@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp

  -- Drug-resistant tuberculosis: can we save money AND save lives?

The spread of drug-resistant disease is one of the biggest challenges in international
health. It can cost up to one million dollars to treat a patient with drug-resistant
tuberculosis (TB) in the United States. But what is the cheapest and most effective way to
treat the disease? Can treatment strategies used in industrialised nations be applied in
developing countries?

 http://www.id21.org/health/h4rs1g1.html Email request:  GET
http://www.id21.org/health/h4rs1g1.html  or  mailto:richard.smith@uea.ac.uk

Further information:
Stop TB Partnership
c/o WHO/CDS
20 Avenue Appia
CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
mailto:stoptb@who.int

Source: [AFRO-NETS]: afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.afronets.org




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